Wednesday, February 02, 2005

So Louie called me up at the end of last week and said, "How would you like to go to Paris? The tickets are only $288! " When he told me when - in February, I kind of pannicked. But in the end, he said "I'm doing it." and hung up the phone. So... we leave at the same time that Amber leaves for the first leg of her African mission trip. We'll drive to the airport together!

So, Louie and I know less than a stitch of French. It has been so hilarious practicing the few word that we know. I have started calling him "Pepe le Pew ". We have had more funny moments trying to establish an accent. We are moved to tears most of the time. Now that I have received my Rick Steve's guides in the mail, I am even more overwhelmed than before. I have 8 days to learn French. HELP! Boy do I regret not taking that in sch0ol. My little bit of German is doing me no good. If there is a more intimidating language, I would like to know it. The only consolation we have is that we will have each other, even if we can't speak to a soul!
We'll be there over Valentines Day!

I have literally the one dress that I bought from April Cornell and then my hanging around the house clothes, so tonight while the kids are at Awana, I am headed to the mall to wrangle me up some traveling clothes. Oi. I am not going to impress those French women, I am sure. All I know is that I need to dress warmly.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

There is just nothing quite as sweet as little ones that want to give kisses. My sweet little Charlotte sits here on my lap as I type and grabs my cheeks with her chubby little hand and kisses me. I try to memorize these moments, as I know that they are fleeting. I know that I had these kind of moments with my older children when they were little, but it is so hard to remember specifically. I have been supplied with a little one every two or so years, and for a while I took it for granted that that was my life, but now that I am 41, I realize that it isn't so. Twenty years of parenting is gone, and that is about all I have left before my little Autumn is out in the world on her own too. I hear parents complain about how little sleep they are getting, or how little time they have to themselves and I just want to yell " It's such a short time of your life! Enjoy it, savor it, cherish it - it is over before you can blink!" All I have to do is look over at my 17 year old, six foot two son Kellen and know that he is too big for my lap anymore! As much as I can look back at the photos, watching them grow goes so gradually that you don't really remember them at certain stages. Wish I had a photographic memory. We haven't been the best picture takers over the years. Now that we have more children taking photos, it is really helping. Do you think that there is any chance that my grandchildren will give butterfly kisses?

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Today was one of those days when you just felt the presence of the Lord. I soon knew He had gone ahead and prepared the way with mercy, even in the face of uncertainty.

I took our 6 year old Margaret to Seattle Childrens Hospital today for an appointment with a rheumatologist that we had been referred to by our pediatrician. I had only taken her in to our pediatrician with my concerns last Thursday, but with a positive blood test for Rheumatoid Factor, the doctor quickly contacted Children's specialists to see about getting us in. Normally it takes months to get an appointment, but they had a cancellation today and since we are local, it worked to get us in. Dr. Wallace was able to confirm the Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis that had been suspected. They spent an hour with us, examining Margaret, explaining the disease, treatment and answering any questions that we had. Little did I know that this is the only place in a 5 state area that has this type of specialist and how fortunate we were to get an appointment.

They were so calm and assured that this is treatable, and manageable. I felt such peace. She will begin a course of Prednisone and Methatrexine and an0ther anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen, but stronger, and a good multivitamin. It was also recommended that we may need to supplement her Calcium and Vitamin D. Margaret has an appointment with an optomologist on Feb. 4 because, strangely enough, this usually also could accompany inflammation in the iris as well. They'll need to check her for this every 6 mo.

For now, I am not projecting out to what the long term implications of this could be, but the more I read the literature that they sent home, the more I cringe. Words like "disability" do not comfort me. I prefer to take this one day at a time and hand it all to the Lord to carry. I have been so encouraged by the sermon series that I have been listening to on Truth For Life. Alistair Begg is an awesome preacher and his series on the life of Joseph and how the Lord prepared him all his life for the role that he would play in saving Isreal is just outstanding. It comforts me to know that all that we face is ultimately for His glory and that He promises us not to give us more than we can handle. I pray that Margaret will come to realize this too as she gets old enough to understand what this may mean for her.

Monday, January 10, 2005

Dear Friends, Do you ever look into your closet and just feel like everything you have is familiar, but just not a reflection of you? That is how I feel about my clothes. There are those items that seem to shrink and grow with me as my shape has changed with all the babies. Many things I hang onto just because I am afraid of cleaning out my closet and having nothing left. I have quite a few Christmas outfits that just stay in style and yet aren't appropriate for wearing the rest of the year - shiny satin blouse, sweater with sequin zipper, long, red wool jumper, etc. I really don't have time to go shopping for clothes. When I have gotten desperate, I have gone to a local clothing store that sells Northwest classics, much like Eddie Bauer because I know the clothes will fit and work. But I just end up with basic separates that are "blah". The mall is 45 min. away and I avoid it at all costs. Seattle downtown shops are a ferry ride away, and that is an all afternoon excursion that I just don't have time to take. On a rare trip into Seattle in December for my daughter Amber's birthday, we went shopping. We went into all the regular department stores and nothing really caught my eye or even appealed to me at all. I know I am out of style when I can't find one pair of shoes that appeal to me in a place like Nordstrom's! There was one store however, that I have loved everytime I walk in. "April Cornell" has such feminine and lovely things in bright, cheerful colors. Because the day was about my daughter, I didn't linger long. But when Christmas was over, it occured to me that they might have a website. I found several lovely things on sale! Today, as I am recovering from the flu, feeling quite unlike myself, my package arrived. What a treat to wear my new dress and feel new again! It is a lovely rose color, with rose profiles overall and it has a fitted bottice, although loose, a tie in the back, and lovely 3/4 length sleeves that have a split inside the wrist so they flare open. Now I can get back to the things of life, back to myself. Time for a cup of tea in a cup and saucer. No more mugs. I am a lady.